The Runaway
by Thatfandom-quester
Summary: After Hiccup and Astrid finds the truth behind the dragon raids, he attempts to show them the truth about dragons. However, his plans go awry and Hiccup leaves Berk with only Toothless. Five years later, Hiccup returns to the archipelago, and as he works to repair his relationship with his father, Hiccup soon realizes that there really is no place like home. AH/HH Runaway AU.
1. Chapter 1: The Point of No Return

The Runaway

 **Chapter 1: The Point of No Return**

This was it. The moment that would decide everything between man and dragon. And that's what made this so much harder, to go against everything he's known when the odds of this working out the way he wanted it to was against him. He could feel the pressure on him, and it was with a heavy heart that he made it to the gate of the arena while his father stood in front of everyone in the tribe and proclaimed, "Well, I can finally show my face in public again!"

Hiccup told himself to breathe as he looked up towards the crowds that had gathered around the metal chains that caged in the ring, what kept him and the creature he was supposed to kill to win his father's pride inside. He could barely believe that he was standing here, top of his class at Dragon Training. Except, the show that the whole village had showed up to witness, wasn't going to be what they had expected. Because he couldn't do it.

Just two short weeks ago, he would have gladly accepted to kill the Monstrous Nightmare and to win the glory of being the town hero. Now it sickened him. So much has changed in that period of time that Hiccup couldn't believe it. It felt like a whole lifetime had passed from that day he had shot down a Night fury to prove to everyone that he was like them, but now he knew the truth. The dragons weren't what the Vikings thought them to be.

How ironic was it that when he finally realized he couldn't kill a dragon was when he got into dragon training? Hiccup tried to tell his father his epiphany, emphasis on tried, and a one-sided conversation later he was in training to learn how to kill dragons. Soon, intending to keep himself alive for another day, Hiccup used tricks he learned with Toothless and now he was here. He inhaled to give himself the strength to block out his words, but try as he might, the helmet his father gave him for luck suddenly became heavier.

 _"Keeps her close. . ._ " His father had said. Would his mom be disappointed in him for what he was about to do?

Hiccup looked down at it as his father ended his speech. ", , ,and proud. Today my son becomes a viking! He becomes one of us!"

Oh gods, this was going to be much harder than he thought it would.

"Good luck with that dragon." Hiccup probably would've jumped had he not been so nervous.

It was Astrid Hofferson, the girl he's had a crush on since he knew what one was. And the only who knew about his Night fury that he spends his freetime with now. She had come across him in the woods and found him and Toothless, planning to run away after being chosen for the "honor." After he convinced her to go on a flight to see the truth about dragons, they found the ultimate gamechanger: the dragons were being controlled by something; a dragon much too large to be considered just a dragon. Hopefully he could win the vikings favor.

"It's not the dragon I'm worried about," he replied. His eyes followed his father to the large wooden chair that was reserved for the chief. It overlooked the whole arena.

"What are you going to do?"

"Put an end to this." His eyes travelled over the crowd, cheering for blood and entertainment. Much easier said than done. "I have to try," he added. Hiccup tried to string the thoughts spinning a whirlwind in his mind, and then turned to the only person he knew he could trust this with and said, "Astrid, if something goes wrong, just make sure they don't find Toothless."

"I will," she promised him. For a moment she looked at him as if trying to carve this into her memory before everything changed for good. It probably was. Finally she said, "Just promise me it won't go wrong."

Before he could reply, they were interrupted: "It's time, 'Iccup. Knock 'em dead."

Hiccup stepped forward and cast one last look towards Astrid. Her eyes, bright as the sky on a summer day, stared back grimly. He wanted more than anything to promise her that everything would be alright, that they could unite dragons and vikings, but they both knew that the chances of that happening, here and now, was very slim. He turned his gaze forward again as he felt Gobber's hand on his shoulder, almost as heavy as a weight, guiding him towards the open arena. Feet as heavy as boulders, Hiccup found himself walking into the arena, the gate closing behind him like a death sentence, and he put on his mother's helmet.

" _That's my boy!"_

" _Hiccup! You get to kill the dragon!"_

" _Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow. You know you're going to have to. . .kill a dragon."_

" _What are we going to do?"_

" _I'll figure it out tomorrow."_

The voices banged around in his head like a hollow horn, and then Hiccup found himself in the center of the ring. It was silent now, in his thoughts and all around him. He felt suddenly lightheaded, his vision a bit like a rubber band stretched and suddenly released. Hiccup grabbed a dagger and an ornate shield, and swallowed to wet his dry throat.

"I'm ready." Two words, and then everything was set into motion.

Hiccup tried his best to look confident as the lock to the dragons cage was drawn up and the Monstrous Nightmare was released. For a couple moments after it was unlocked, everyone was silent in anticipation, and then the dragon burst out alight with flames. Doing his best not to shake, Hiccup raised his shield instinctively to protect himself, hoping the dragon didn't think he meant harm. The dragon hadn't realized it had company yet however, and instead scaled the walls, shooting columns of flames into the crowds outside the ring, and then hanging upside down from the metal chains. Then he stopped and looked down at Hiccup, demonstrating his level of flexibility by coming back down the concrete floor.

Stepping back carefully, Hiccup looked deep into the eyes of the Monstrous Nightmare. _I don't mean any harm,_ he tried to convey with his eyes as the dragon advanced on him. He ignored the crowd trying to egg him on, to kill this dragon that is enslaved to something bigger than all of them.

He couldn't convince them by some heroic speech; Astrid didn't even try to listen to him until she had absolutely no alternative.

" _Just let me show you. . ."_ It was what he had to do now.

Before he could over-think this, or he could even begin to convince himself not to, Hiccup extended his arms and let the knife and shield fall to the ground. The dragon stopped, perplexed by his actions. It wasn't enough.

Heart in his throat, Hiccup lifted his helmet off his head, glanced up at his father, and looked into the eyes of the so-called beast and somehow said, "I'm not one of them." Somehow he sounded stronger than he felt. He threw the helmet to ground and everyone gasped. Looking from the helmet to Hiccup, the dragons guard lowered a little.

Stoick leaned forward looking slightly out of his depth. "Stop the fight."

Hiccup spent his whole life shouting at his father to listen to him, crying inside for his pride, but now he realized there was more at stake than his father's pride. And that helped him stand a little bit taller though he felt even more weighed down. "No," he shot back, keeping his voice level so as to not startle the dragon. He may not of gotten his father's strength or his confidence (though now Hiccup considered it was all just like his tricks in the ring, a charade and his father was just as terrified as the people) but he did get his father's stubbornness. "I need you all to see this. Dragon's aren't what we think they are. We don't have to kill them."

"I said STOP THE FIGHT!"

After those words things went wrong all at once. A loud bang echoed through the arena, and Hiccup saw the dragon's pupils dilated. The calm between them evaporated and the Monstrous Nightmare lashed out at him, nearly biting off his hand. Hiccup cried out, looking briefly at his hand and realizing that he did in fact still have a hand, and ran as quickly as possible as he instinctively screamed.

"Hiccup!"

 _Little busy at the moment, Astrid,_ Hiccup thought as he heard Astrid call after him. He turned around and dashed towards the shields and weapons, trying to grab something to protect himself, but the dragon crushed and splintered the wood.

"Ah!" he screamed and ditched the shield.

As he continued running and then he heard a _whack_ behind him. Slightly confused, Hiccup twisted back and saw the dragon was chasing Astrid. He pivoted on his ankle and started towards the hammer that fell on the ground behind him. Hiccup threw it as hard as he could towards the Monstrous Nightmare. On ordinary dragon raids or any other day, he wouldn't have been so lucky but maybe the desperation of the whole situation perfected his aim as he chucked it at the dragon's head. He felt apologetic and gave a mental apology before running for his life again.

He and Astrid met up at the middle of the arena and ran next to each other. "So much for a plan," she said dryly to him. "Any more bright ideas?"

"You won't punch me if I say 'I've got nothing' will you?"

"No promises, dragon boy."

"Thanks," Hiccup shot back sarcastically. "Glad you have my back."

"Sarcastic as always."

Flames shot at them and they ducked. "Divide and conquer?" Hiccup asked.

"Now we have something to agree on."

Hiccup broke away from Astrid and when he was a good distance away from them he started shouting at him. "Over here!"

The Monstrous Nightmare stopped chasing Astrid and charged Hiccup. He forced himself to hold his ground until the last possible second and dived into a tumble (surprisingly successful) to get out of the way as flames came towards him, singeing his hair.

Just as Hiccup started to get up from his kneeling position after the tumble, he heard, "Over here!"

He was shocked to see his father standing there at the open gate. Hiccup got to his feet as Astrid ran towards her chief to safety. He almost reached them but Hiccup felt heat start towards his back and staggered as he turned and fire hit the wall. He turned and ran, trying to escape but he tripped over splintered wood and the next thing he knew he was trapped under a Monstrous Nightmare's claw. The dragon growled at him and Hiccup felt his heart trying to escape his chest.

And then he heard a sound that made him feel relieved and all the more worried. The sound of a Night furies blast. Toothless must've heard his cry and somehow got out of the cove.

The black dragon hung in the air for a moment and then released a bright purple blast that broke the chains and flew in the arena, cloaked in the smoke from the aftermath of his plasma blast. Hiccup struggled to get free, blinded and desperate. And then he was. As the smoke cleared, he saw a whirl of black and red as Toothless and the Monstrous Nightmare wrestled with each other. Hiccup looked up at the vikings staring down at his obsidian dragon in a mix of fascination and horror.

When Hiccup looked back at his level, Toothless and the other dragon had stopped fighting but Toothless still growled and stood in a protective stance as the Nightmare tried to reach him. The dragon gave up on getting Hiccup while he was under the protection of the only known Night fury and flew away.

But that was the least of their problems. Vikings poured into the ring, gathering around Toothless like vultures. Hiccup stood and ran towards Toothless. "Go on, bud, get out of here!" he yelled at his dragon, trying to shove him as more and more of the tribe came into the arena. "Toothless, now!"

He couldn't lose him; he couldn't lose his best friend. If the tribe and his own father disowned him, so be it, but he couldn't lose Toothless. He didn't know if he could bear it.

A battle cry came louder than everything that was going on around him, and what Hiccup saw made his blood turn to ice. Stoick was charging Toothless, and his dragon looked ready to do the same. He couldn't let two of the only people he loved unconditionally kill each other.

Hiccup ran so he stood between them. One hand faced his father, the other his best friend. "STOP!" he shouted with everything he had. All the years of desperation and disappointments with every attempt he's given for everyone, the joy of his time with Toothless. Every single emotion poured into that single word and everyone stopped what they were doing. Even his father listened, coming to a stop with a look on his face that told Hiccup he was surprised.

"We can't keep fighting the dragons! They aren't what we thought they are. They are kind, intelligent creatures who have the same goal as us: To Survive. But if we keep this up, it will be the end of all of us, dragons and vikings alike!" His words echoed in the silence, and the vikings murmured to each other. Should they listen to him? Is there a chance that they were wrong?

"They've killed hundreds of us!" His father shouted back. It seemed he got his confidence back, but he didn't know what Hiccup did. If they keep going in blind, with no idea what they're up against, there won't be a future for Berk. "They steal our food. They always go for the kill so that is why we _can't_ hesitate!"

"And we've killed thousands of them! If they killed without hesitation, we'd all be dead right now." Hiccup replied. He looked his father in the eye. "There are things about them we don't know about, things we don't understand."

"You are just a child, Hiccup." His father replied. "You know nothing of war, but you control that beast."

"Yeah," a viking chimed in, though Hiccup didn't know who it was. "You could have that Night fury kill us all on command!"

Hiccup lowered his hand, the one that had been reaching out towards his father without him realizing it. "I understand it clearly now." He couldn't convince them by words or his plan of showing them about dragons as that plan had imploded. As he looked around the crowd, the vikings staring at him in disgust, the children in awe and shock, the teens with either one, Astrid looking troubled between what she knew and her honor, Gobber (who had hobbled next to Stoick while they spoke) unreadable, and his father who looked at him with betrayal, shame, and something else that Hiccup couldn't quite read. Toothless was snarling at anyone who dared get closer to them.

He had to leave. Until he could find a way to convince them or if he ever could, he'd have to leave Berk behind. Hiccup sought out Astrid's eyes and he could tell she knew exactly what he was thinking. She nodded, ever so slightly, and Hiccup was sure those were tears glistening in her eyes.

Without saying another word, he walked back towards his Night fury and mounted Toothless.

One last time, sitting tall on Toothless's back, Hiccup met his mentor's eyes, the man that taught him everything he needed to know for Toothless's tail. "You were right," he said to him, "I can't be something I'm not."

Hiccup turned his foot, and then he and Toothless took off into the sky, disappearing around the mountain. Everyone stared after them, in awe and murmuring to each other.

 **Hello, fellow fangirls and fanboys :) This isn't the first fanfiction that I've ever written (well, in a way, it is, just a different and better draft), but it is the first on this website. My other few are on , but I'll be moving them over here where I will rewrite and edit them. Thanks for giving this fic a chance and I hope you'll be back soon for the next chapter!**

 **\- Mara**


	2. Chapter 2: The Calm Before the Storm

**Hey guys! I'm loving the reviews, and I want to thank those who followed and favorited The Runaway.**

 **I'm sorry that this one is kind of short and mainly a filler chapter but the next one should be longer.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to Train Your Dragon and credit for this amazing story and characters goes to DreamWorks**

 **Enjoy :)**

Twigs snapped as boots stepped on them. A figure in the darkness maneuvered through the trees and slid down a hill, rounding some large rocks.

Moonlight reflected off the lake in a cove, where an obsidian colored dragon slept with his rider by his side.

Hiccup dozed against Toothless as a couple other twigs snapped, completely oblivious as Toothless popped his head up, his eyes narrowing in on the shadows. Toothless brought his tail around Hiccup.

But then as the figure came into the moonlight, which glinted off their hair, his demeanor changed and he gave a gummy smile at their visitor.

Astrid saw Hiccup sleeping and smiled, putting a finger to her lips as she put the basket she was carrying on the ground. Her action made Toothless warble slightly as tilted his head. Astrid proceeded to walk as quietly as she could towards Hiccup.

When she stood by the dragon rider, she cleared her throat and declared in a loud voice, "My, what a nice night."

Hiccup jumped, mumbling, "I'm up, I'm up."

"Well," Astrid replied, putting her hands on her hips, as she watched Hiccup stretch his stiff muscles. "You could've fooled me."

Hiccup blinked his bleary eyes, fighting a yawn before he looked around. The events in the ring came back to him instantly and he moved his gaze back to Astrid.

She looked like a Valkyrie with the moonlight reflecting off her fair hair. Her blue eyes were bright with the reflection of the water.

"That really happened, didn't it?" Hiccup said. His stomach felt slightly uneasy as he realized exactly what was happening.

It was the same feeling he got the evening before, when he was going to run away and leave the Monstrous Nightmare to Astrid. Now, after what had happened, after all he'd said and done, he couldn't go back. He couldn't magically turn back time and change the way things went.

The realization crashed into him, that he had no choice but to leave.

And he knew now is that he'd miss it all, no matter how hard or how much he tried only to be rejected again and again. He'd miss his time in the forge with Gobber, chatting with his mentor or sitting by himself in the back room while he thought of each new invention and how they'd work. He'd even miss the awkward dinners with his father, or even Snotlout, no matter how mean or rude that boy could be. And he'd miss Fishlegs, who he was able to talk to when they were alone and Fishlegs didn't worry about being accepted by their peers.

And Astrid. He'd miss her too. Even now, even though they hadn't even said goodbye, he missed her. It was like she was already across the sea from him.

This was the point of no return.

"Where's your head at, Dragon Boy?"

Hiccup jumped slightly, and then realized that Astrid was sitting beside him now, and that Toothless was drinking from the lake.

"Yesterday, when you found Toothless in the cove, I hadn't realized what it meant to run away, to leave everything I knew," Hiccup said. He brought his knees close to his chest, loosely wrapping his arms around them. "I hadn't realized what I would miss; what I already miss."

"Hiccup, I know this is hard but it's only temporary, right?" She said. When Hiccup didn't reply, she asked again, "right?"

He looked over at Toothless. "I don't know how long _temporary_ is. Is it days? Weeks? Months?" He asked. "Maybe even years."

Astrid was quiet, and when Hiccup looked at her, her gaze was on her shoes and she was biting her lip. Tears sparkled in her eyes. "I don't want this to be our goodbye," she said. Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence, and Hiccup knew that she was trying not to cry, that she was trying to be strong. Maybe for his sake or for her own.

"Then it won't be," Hiccup promised. Somehow, he knew that he would see her again. Maybe in this life, or maybe in Valhalla, but he would see her again.

They sat together in silence, listening to the water falling into the lake and the wind rustling the leaves. Faintly, they could hear crickets chirping.

"How the village?" Hiccup asked.

"After you left, it was chaos. They crowded Stoick, asking question after question until Gobber shoed them all away," Astrid told him. "I brought you the things you told me to bring, but I had to wait until it was clear. It's why I took so long."

Astrid paused. "Your father held a meeting in the Great Hall after dinner. I've never seen him like he was," she continued. "No matter what you think, he misses you even after what happened."

Hiccup felt a tear escape his eye but he let it trail down his cheek. "I miss him too," he said. Hiccup clear his throat, taking out two pieces of paper.

They were letters for his father and Gobber. "I wrote them letters," he said. "It doesn't explain everything I've learned about dragons, like how to find the nest but it will tell them what they should know. If they even read it."

Astrid put a hand on his shoulder. "They will. I know it."

Hiccup tried for a smile, and put his hand on hers. "I hope so," he said.

They both sniffed, at the same time, and then both broke out in laughter. Toothless jumped, and looked at them before he decided it must be a human thing, and continued hunting for fish in the water.

Eventually, Hiccup and Astrid stopped laughing, fading back into silence before they both got to their feet. Hiccup pocketed his letters and called Toothless over, and tied to the basket to Toothless's saddle.

"So, this is really it, then?"

Hiccup rested his hands on the leather of the saddle before he turned towards Astrid. "For now," he said.

They stood in silence, looking each other in the eye, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Well-"

"I-"

Both of them spoke at the same time and laughed slightly.

Astrid gave Hiccup a smile that sent his heart in flips. "I'm going to miss you," she said.

Hiccup returned her smile. "Me too."

He silently mounted Toothless, hooking his vest to the saddle. His heart was heavy in his chest as he looked around the cove.

Just weeks ago, he was on that ledge, looking down at a trapped dragon. It felt like the person he was then was so far away from where he sits now. Who knew that such a short time could change everything?

Toothless tensed, lifting his wings as he prepared to launch them into the sky.

"Wait," Astrid said suddenly. Hiccup looked at her, really looked at her again because he knew it'd be awhile before he saw her again.

He opened his mouth to reply, when she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss.

Hiccups lips tingled as they kissed, and it was like a spark; igniting something that would burn, for forever and always.

Astrid pulled away and they looked deep into each other's eyes. "Don't forget us, Hiccup Haddock," she said.

"I won't."

Toothless, sensing that these were their last words for each other for a long while, launched him and his rider into the night sky.

Astrid was left in the cove, her tears finally falling as she watched them disappear into the stars.

"A storm is coming, Toothless," Hiccup said.

Hiccup was standing on a small ledge, looking at the horizon.

It had been three weeks since Hiccup and Toothless had left Berk and had found a small island with forests, a mountain that went up into the clouds, and a beach.

Hiccup had chosen a cave in the mountain as their camp. It was high enough for them to look out onto the horizon for potential threats, such as viking ships who came there for hunting trips. Inside the cave, Hiccup had his bedroll set up, near the singed rock floor where Toothless slept. He also had a small make-shift forge that had been made from rocks and discarded embers, which he used to fix the only tools he'd brought with him.

In the time that he'd been gone, Hiccup had changed. His clothes were worn, dirty, and slightly singed from forge malfunctions. His hair had grown longer. Hiccup had made a pickaxe out of stone and wood, which he let dangle from a leather strap around his waist.

The horizon had dark, angry clouds that flashed, stabbing at the choppy waters. Hiccup lowered his spyglass, revealing a fresh mark from a dragon claw that would leave a scar for Hiccup to remember for the rest of his life. He had gotten it from exploring a cave nearby the islands lagoon, which turned out to be a dragons den.

It had actually been a Gronckle protecting her young but they made peace after Hiccup and Toothless protected them from a Monstrous Nightmare.

Toothless garbled his reply from inside the cave, where he had relit the fire. Hiccup turned around, pulling aside the cloth he used to keep most of the heat inside but allow the smoke to be released. He sat down, scratching Toothless behind his ears. He stared into the fire, watching the glowing embers.

Toothless crooned in concern for his rider.

Hiccup snapped out of his reverie. "I'm fine, Toothless," he said. "I-I just…I miss-I miss my dad, even if he was never happy with me. He thought that I never paid attention during hunting trips or fishing trips but the truth is…I wouldn't have gotten this far without what he taught me, or what Gobber taught me." Hiccup sniffed, pulling his knee's to his chest. "When we left…I never thought I'd miss Berk," he added.

Toothless warbled and crooned to Hiccup. Hiccup gave a small smile to his friend.

Thunder boomed nearby, vibrating into the ground. Rain came down, like water released from a bucket, and started to hit against the mountain, pelting at the stone.

"What do you say, bud?" Hiccup asked, a small smile on his face. "Think we can fly through this storm?"

Toothless gave a snort.

"Let's go, bud."

Meanwhile, at Berk, fire and rain fought against each-other.

Hours earlier, the dark, angry clouds had drifted over them and seemed to last forever. Thunder echoed above, lightning streaking from cloud to cloud. Rain pelted the vikings as they herded the livestock to the barns while the rest of them got the young children and the women into the Great Hall.

The situation got quickly from bad to worse when dragons descended upon them under the cover of the storm.

Stoick quickly took charge. "Get all our food, supplies, and animals into the caves in the forest, we don't want to lose any of that to the dragons. Spitelout, get the children to the Great Hall. The rest of you, protect the armory, give cover to our livestock and supplies, and protect our homes," he ordered.

Everyone spread out, leaving Gobber.

"Thor's angry tonight," Stoick said.

He stood in the Great Hall, where he had been when his scouts told him that dragons were raiding. The Berkians had crowded around him as they awaited his instructions, before going to do their jobs. The only people left in the warmth of the Great Hall was the children and teenagers(the infants with their mom, dad, or eldest sibling), the cooks (who had prepared soup), Gothi (who handed out blankets and had a corner prepared for the sick and injured), and Gobber.

The Blacksmith stood beside Stoick, silent.

In the time that Hiccup had been gone, his absence had worn on them both. Work in the forge had grown harder for Gobber, who no longer had his apprentice. Dragon raids had increased drastically, making it harder for everyone on Berk, such as the farmers, fisherman, loggers and builders, etc. But it was hardest for Stoick, who managed it all, all the while dealing with the loss of his son on the back of that Night Fury, who may or may not be alive.

He had sent out parties to check nearby islands but once the raids became more consistent, Stoick had to put an end to that and look after Berk. But despite the sting of betrayal, he still hoped that Hiccup was still alive out there.

"Stoick?"

It was the voice of his friend that snapped him out of his reverie. His friend knew exactly what was eating him up inside.

"He's alive," Gobber said. He put a hand on Stoicks shoulder. "I know he is."

Stoick sighed. "How did I not see it coming?" he asked. "Why did I ignore the signs? Why hadn't I listened to him?"

"You were doing the best you could at the time," Gobber said. "You couldn't have seen any of this coming. I spent more time with him than anyone, and I didn't…" He trailed off.

Thunder boomed above.

"You should get to the forge, Gobber," Stoick said. His eyes were misty but it was clear that he was fighting to keep them from falling. "You have a lot of work."

"I'm too far behind to do it on my own," Gobber said.

"I'll help."

The reply came from Astrid Hofferson. She stood tall, her axe on her back.

"No, you'll stay here and help Gothi," Stoick said.

"Fishlegs, and the others have it under control," she argued. Her gaze went back to the other teens.

Fishlegs was helping Gothi with the herbs, while Snotlout and the Twins were clearly up to no good.

"I think it's only Fishlegs that's helping," Gobber said.

"Look, I'm a quick learner," Astrid said. "I can help get Gobber caught up."

"Stoick!" One of the vikings ran towards him, panting. "It's the animals. A Nadder broke apart the herd and now there's chickens and sheep scattered over the fields."

"Lead the way," Stoick said and the two ran outside into the storm.

Astrid turned to Gobber expectantly.

"Alright, you can be my aid," Gobber said.

He started to limp away, the blonde viking following. "Thank you," she said.

"This stays between you and me, you got that?"

"Yes, sir."

They went down the stairs as quickly as possible, pelted by hail and they were well-soaked by the time that they reached the forge.

Gobber left Astrid to pump the bellows at first, and then showed her how to get the weapon back to brand-new. She actually was a quick study but still not quite as good as Hiccup was.

Meanwhile, Stoick was in the fields, helping his people to get all the animals together while he covered them from the dragons.

It was as a Deadly Nadder escaped from a net, knocking away Stoicks axe, and about to fry him, that they heard it.

A loud whistle through the hail and the thunder.

A Night Fury.

 _The_ Night Fury, and a shout above it all.

A bright purple blast hit the ground between the Deadly Nadder and Stoick, and, briefly, Stoick got a glimpse of a black shadow and a boy, before they disappeared into the storm.

He shook his head, getting back to work. When all of the animals were back together, Stoick ran back into the village. He'd just seen Astrid helping in the forge but before he could go over there, another purple blast stopped a monstrous nightmare from burning down Berks armada.

Stoick ran to the forge.

Astrid saw him first. "Uh…" she said, clearly expecting him to yell.

Gobber came into the room, freezing in his tracks. "I can explain-"

Stoick shook his head, interrupting him. "That's not why I'm here," he said quickly. "I saw him - Hiccup and his Night Fury."

It was then, with a final strike of lightning, that the storm ended, and the hail stopped coming down. There was distant thunder but all that was left was a drizzle.

The trio rushed out to see that the dragons had grabbed some stray sheep and some yaks, and were flying away as vikings threw spears and nets and axes at them.

Some houses had burned down but most of them remain standing, with wet, charred wood.

Now, it was time to recover from the storm and the raid.

The gravel crunched beneath Hiccup's feet.

After dodging lightning bolt after lightning bolt, they had finally arrived to the nest, soaking wet but alive.

Hiccup glanced at Toothless before his gaze fell back on the mountain, where he knew the monstrosity inside hid.

He knew they'd need some rest after their trip but then their battle would begin, and one way or another, this would end. This was just the calm before the storm.


End file.
